Comfort Woman : a Filipina's Story of Prostitution and Slavery Under ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

8 Comfort Woman Julia ran to her room and wept. She cried and cried until she fell asleep. When dinner time came, she refused to leave her room. Carmen went to her and called out in a soft voice. She comforted Julia and apologized for slapping her. “You know your father also agrees that we should give in to the landlord’s plea, “ she explained. “He promised to give us all the things that we need.” But Julia just kept quiet. She also refused to eat. She stayed in her room for three days. When Carmen returned, she addressed her daughter in an angry tone. “If you refuse what the landlord wants, then go and pay all our debts and give us the benefi ts that the landlord is giving us now. Otherwise, your father and I will despise you. You are not a good daughter. You are selfi sh.” Then Carmen stormed out of the room, very angry. My mother was then nineteen years old. She was deeply hurt. Tears gushed from her eyes. She did not want to hurt her mother. Julia was a very obedient daughter. So she followed her angry mother and spoke to her. “I will not protest anymore, Mother,” she said, fi ghting back tears. Carmen smiled and said in a low voice, “It is for your own good, Julia.” At that time, Julia was already feeling awful things inside her body. Her period had been delayed for two months. When she told her mother, Carmen was happy, because a baby meant that the landlord would remain their benefactor for a long time. Alberto was glad, too. Don Pepe came every day to see Julia. One day, he asked her parents for permission to take her away with him for a while. He instructed Carmen to escort her to a hotel in a nearby town. Julia did just as her mother told her. For two days, she was with the landlord in the hotel. She did not love him and hated having sex with him. When Don Pepe left, Carmen came to the hotel to fetch her. Twice a month, until the fi fth month of her pregnancy, Julia was taken to the hotel for her date with the landlord. Every day the landlord came to visit her. The neighbors were beginning to wonder why the landlord was at their home so often.
My Mother, Julia support Don Pepe gave her family kept them alive. Her salary was too small to feed six brothers and sisters. Julia did not want to go back to work in the big house. But Carmen told her she should because the landlord might be angry and call them ungrateful. Julia obeyed her mother. For the next three years, Julia worked in the big house. Don Pepe did not touch her again, until one night when he crawled into her room and raped her one more time. Julia could not fi ght back; neither could she tell anyone of the incident. Then, not long afterward, the landlord raped her again. Finally, Don Pepe himself visited Alberto and Carmen to confess the things that he had done to Julia. “I fell in love with your daughter, that is why I dared to do that,” Don Pepe said. He added that he wanted to keep seeing Julia. “Do not worry too much, I promise I will support you and your family.” Two months later, Don Pepe sent Julia back home, for fear that she would tell his wife about what he did to her. Julia did not know that he had spoken to her parents. While at home, she was happy and forgot her pain for a while. She spent a lot of time with her childhood friends. When the moon was full, they played hide and seek and sang songs until they were sleepy. On Saturday nights, Julia received men of her age who courted her. But she felt shame because she had lost her virginity. At that time, a woman considered her virginity the most valuable gift she could give her husband-to-be. One day, Carmen told Julia to stop admitting suitors. Don Pepe has talked with your father about his plan to get in touch with you, she said. He will provide for our fi nancial needs if we will agree to let you live with him, said Carmen. Julia was very surprised. “Why, I do not love that old man. He is older than my grandfather,” she said. Carmen slapped her. “Obey what we want you to do. We are grateful because he helped us when your father was sick. And without him, we will have nothing to eat.” 9
Page 3: COMFORT WOMAN
Page 6 and 7: iv Comfort Woman ROWMAN & LITTLEFIE
Page 8 and 9: vi Comfort Woman
Page 10 and 11: viii Comfort Preface Woman
Page 12 and 13: x Introduction Many so-called karay
Page 14 and 15: xii Introduction close tabs on the
Page 16 and 17: xiv Introduction war, that the trul
Page 18 and 19: xvi Introduction road by a small gr
Page 20 and 21: xviii Introduction fi nding group m
Page 22 and 23: xx Introduction no American would b
Page 24 and 25: xxii Comfort Woman
Page 26 and 27: 2 Comfort Woman the family had no r
Page 28 and 29: 4 Comfort Woman her. Don Pepe had t
Page 30 and 31: 6 Comfort Woman Julia was still wor
Page 34 and 35: 10 Comfort Woman Don Pepe decided t
Page 36 and 37: 12 Comfort Woman directed her life.
Page 38 and 39: 14 Comfort Woman child is not treat
Page 40 and 41: 16 Comfort Woman not know you,” h
Page 42 and 43: 18 Comfort Woman His wife did not k
Page 44 and 45: 20 Comfort Woman she lived in miser
Page 46 and 47: 22 Comfort Woman with them. I wonde
Page 48 and 49: 24 Comfort Woman I thought the word
Page 50 and 51: 26 Comfort Woman times in our house
Page 52 and 53: 28 Comfort Woman Raped our women an
Page 54 and 55: 30 Comfort Woman early, we could fo
Page 56 and 57: 32 Comfort Woman When it was rice h
Page 58 and 59: 34 Comfort Woman I went around the
Page 60 and 61: 36 ions were allowed to go. I walke
Page 62 and 63: 38 Comfort Woman drink. Once, he to
Page 64 and 65: 40 Comfort Woman that I was in pain
Page 66 and 67: 42 Comfort Woman Sometimes we were
Page 68 and 69: 44 Comfort Woman night, I just crie
Page 70 and 71: 46 Comfort Woman now, I could under
Page 72 and 73: 48 Comfort Woman up. My whole body
Page 74 and 75: 50 Comfort Woman that had happened
Page 76 and 77: 52 Comfort Woman always pray and to
Page 78 and 79: 54 Comfort Woman We prayed very lou
Page 80 and 81: 56 Comfort Woman tears fl owing fro
Page 82 and 83:
58 Comfort Woman communicated with
Page 84 and 85:
60 Comfort Woman
Page 86 and 87:
62 Comfort Woman Domingo was born i
Page 88 and 89:
64 Comfort Woman “My mother is Ju
Page 90 and 91:
66 Comfort Woman that I did not wan
Page 92 and 93:
68 Comfort Woman I started crying.
Page 94 and 95:
70 Comfort Woman My husband heard t
Page 96 and 97:
72 Comfort Woman One day he told me
Page 98 and 99:
74 Comfort Woman mother, and told t
Page 100 and 101:
76 Comfort Woman
Page 102 and 103:
78 Comfort Woman I ironed and washe
Page 104 and 105:
80 Comfort Woman When I began work,
Page 106 and 107:
82 Comfort Woman laundry and some s
Page 108 and 109:
84 Comfort Woman September 3, 1992,
Page 110 and 111:
86 Comfort Woman request. I felt ha
Page 112 and 113:
88 Comfort Woman members. I am happ
Page 114 and 115:
90 Comfort Woman rally in front of
Page 116 and 117:
92 Comfort Woman
Page 118:
94 Comfort Chronology Woman Decembe
show all

Comfort Woman : a Filipina's Story of Prostitution and Slavery Under ...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?